Whatever the cause, this was definitely a rough night at the office for young Drew Pomeranz, which wouldn't be overly concerning under normal circumstances -- you can't expect a pitcher to come out and be brilliant his first three starts -- but since it came against the lowly Houston Astros, some discouragement is acceptable.

Just keep it small.

Real small.

Here's a quick recap: Houston ambushed Drew in the first, beginning their attack with six straight hits -- three singles, three doubles -- and five runs. Pomernanz then settled in to record three straight outs -- a Clint Barmes fly out, followed by two strikeouts.
Jim Tracy gave him an opportunity to build on the strong finish in the second, which I appreciated, but Pomeranz again struggled to get through the frame and was pulled for Esmil Rogers in the third.

Just not a good night on the mound. At the plate, however, Pomeranz collected his first career hit. So that was good. Also, it sounds like Pomeranz will get a chance to exit 2011 with a good taste in his mouth with a start at San Francisco on Wednesday. We'll keep a real close eye on that one.

By the way, Esmil Rogers didn't do a whole lot better, allowing three runs in a 2 1/3. Josh Roenicke and Matt Lindstrom allowed the 10th and 11th runs respectively.

Final Thought

11-2. Hey, remember when the Rockies record was 11-2? Remember when they led the Arizona Diamondbacks by 6 1/2 games at the end of April? Yeah?

Those Diamondbacks clinched the division on Friday. The Rockies are 21 games in their rear view mirror.